Jessica Biel has come a long way from her saccharine roles on 7th Heaven. Now the actress has a solid film career and has also starred on several critically acclaimed television shows. From a seductive temptress to an action heroine, here are the top 10 movies you should watch starring Jessica Biel.
1. ‘Ulee’s Gold’
In Ulee’s Gold, Peter Fonda gives one of the finest performances of his career. Director Victor Nunez’s tense drama about a hard-bitten family man is simple to a fault and emotionally wrenching.
Ulee Jackson (Fonda) lives in the tupelo marshes of Florida and works as a beekeeper. He is raising his imprisoned son’s two daughters, schoolgirl Penny (Vanessa Zima) and rebellious teen-age Casey, in his own guarded, standoffish style. While he cares about them, he is not interested in forming warm relationships or pulling them aside for philosophical chats. But through the course of this deeply moving drama, Ulee’s spiritual practice of compassion gradually opens him up and puts him on a path of heart. He gets in touch with his feminine side, acknowledges the mystery of life, jettisons some of his rigid ideas, and starts to see even his enemies as suffering souls.
2. ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
A remake of the 1972 original, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is a blood-soaked horror movie that still frightens audiences to this day. Directed by Tobe Hooper, the film uses a documentary-style narration to imbue it with a feeling of gritty reality.
In this drama about a reporter (Lia Haddock) who is trying to solve the mystery of a town that mysteriously disappears, Biel proves that she can carry off somber reflections and complicated outbursts with equal ease as she can do the truly bonkers sex stuff. Paul Giamatti and Nicholas Cage co-star.
Biel shook audiences with her ass-kicking role in this action flick. Though she didn’t garner much praise, her performance remains one of the best in her career. The film was a massive box-office success. It also featured a stellar cast including Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and Scarlett Johansson.
3. ‘Blade: Trinity’
After her initial break-through starring in WB’s long-running family drama ‘7th Heaven’, Jessica Biel has gone on to star in several other films and TV shows. She’s received critical acclaim for her performances, especially in her recurring roles on USA Network’s ‘The Sinner’.
‘Blade: Trinity’ stars Biel as Abigail Whistler, the sassy vampire-human hybrid daughter of Blade (Wesley Snipes). She brings an interesting dimension to the role, though it’s hard for her to connect with a script that’s all talk and no action.
Biel shows she’s more than just a pretty face in this movie, as she expertly whips out an arsenal of trick arrows and stabs one vampire in the head with what looks like a UV light-saber bowstring. It’s some of the best fight choreography in the entire franchise. A definite must-see for fans of the series.
4. ‘A-Team’
Biel’s career received a major boost with this movie as she was cast alongside Peter Fonda. The film’s plot revolves around the story of a trio of Vietnam War veterans who were falsely accused of robbing a bank and decide to team up in order to clear their name.
The film was one of the most critically acclaimed flixtor movies of that time and even won Biel a Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Actress Younger than 10. Biel’s role as Casey in this movie is still considered as her strongest performance to date.
Biel shifted towards independent cinema after this movie and has since then given many underrated, yet eloquent performances. Kaya Scodelario also stars in this film as Emmanuel, a troubled teen with an obsession for her imaginary daughter. This psychological thriller has a surprising climax and is definitely worth watching!
5. ‘Easy Virtue’
Jessica Biel shines in this adaptation of Noel Coward’s play. Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth and Ben Barnes also star in this romantic comedy.
The story follows Larita, a Detroit race-car driver who meets and impetuously marries a handsome Englishman at the Monaco Grand Prix. When she returns to her new husband’s family home, his mother takes a decided dislike to her, and the tensions escalate.
Stephan Elliott’s script is a snappy screwball comedy, and Biel delivers a nimble performance as Larita, whose sex appeal and confidence is her defining characteristic. She makes the character so convincingly believable that she can’t be dismissed as a sex symbol or a mere trophy wife. Her acting transcends her beauty and reaches deep into the heart of her character. This is one of her best films.
